The invention relates to an ammunition-feeding device for a cannon, wherein the ammunition-feeding device has mechanisms for the conveyance and transfer of cartridges to the cannon.
An ammunition-feeding device has become known from Swiss Pat. Application 01 587/95-6, which has a conveyor chain rotating in a housing of a magazine. Cups are provided on the conveyor chain, in which cartridges are held during the transport to a drum of a revolver cannon. Star-shaped reversing wheels and star-shaped transfer wheels, which are seated on a common rotatable shaft, are located at a reversing position of the conveyor chain facing the drum, wherein the reversing wheels are in engagement with the conveyor chain. A first conveyor link provided in the area of the reversing wheels takes over cartridges from the conveyor chain, or respectively the transfer wheels, wherein the cartridges are transported along a guide surface in the shape of an arc of a circle away from the transfer wheels to a second conveying link. The first conveying link consists of two trifurcate stars arranged on a common rotatable shaft, whose gaps are matched to the cross-sectional shape of the cartridges. The second conveyor link is also arranged to be rotatable and has a guide surface for guiding respectively one cartridge. A loading star is fastened on the drum and extends coaxially with it, to which the second conveying link transfers the cartridges. A scanning device arranged above a cartridge on the second conveying link, for example in the form of a photoelectric barrier, checks the position of the first cartridge. If a cartridge is present, a loading device is activated and the cartridges are pushed into the drum.
It is not possible to achieve faster rates of fire by means of the above described ammunition-feeding device. Moreover, the energy expenditure for conveying the cartridges is relatively great.
It is the object of the invention to propose an ammunition-feeding device of the type mentioned at the outset, which does not have the above mentioned disadvantages.
This object is attained by means of an axial transport device with a conveyor chain, by means of which the cartridges are displaced during the transport in their longitudinal direction vertically in respect to the movement direction of the conveyor chain. A buffer shaft is provided for driving the conveyor chain, wherein the drive of the conveyor chain by means of the buffer shaft is performed in such a way that the cartridges are placed into a buffer position prior to being transferred to the cannon.
The advantages obtained by means of the invention are seen to be in particular in the buffering capability of the axial transport device, by means of which a more rapid rate of fire is made possible, and driving energy can be saved. Above all, the proposed axial transport device allows the seating of the cannon in the center of gravity, by means of which the dynamic behavior and the energy requirements of the elevation movement of the cannon are improved. Further advantages are to be seen in the modular construction of the ammunition-feeding device in accordance with the invention, so that production and maintenance costs can be lowered.
The invention will be explained in greater detail in what follows by means of several exemplary embodiments, making reference to the drawings.